Photochemotherapy mediated by hematoporphyrin derivative in gastroenterology

While results concerning photodynamic treatments of cancers in pneumology or dermatology have been published regularly, few works have been devoted to gastroenterology. Twenty-seven non-operable patients bearing various G.I. tumors of less than 40 mm dia. have been treated by PDT for palliative purpose to appreciate the local efficacy of a single treatment. Before July, 1985, the parameters of treatment were 2.5 mg/kg of HPD injected intravenously for theoretical power of delivered laser light (630 mm) 300 mW. After July, 1985, HPD was injected at the dose of 5 mg/kg and the laser dose was 400 mW. A normalization of grip biopsies was observed on 12 patients (6 squamous cell carcinomas, 6 adenocarcinomas), transient in 3 cases. Our main finding is that PDT seems able to destroy significant volumes of tumor by itself although subsequent biopsies proved negative in very few cases. This method remains to be compared to others less sophisticated than the YAG laser.